How to Clean Outdoor Patio and Deck Furniture

Regardless of whether the outdoor furniture on your patio or deck is made of wood, aluminum, wrought iron, or plastic; it takes a lot of abuse from the elements including sun, rain, snow, and extreme changes in temperature.

Here are some tips on how to clean and protect the furniture on your deck or patio to keep it looking like new.

Wrought Iron and Metal Furniture

How to Clean:

Mix up a squirt of dishwashing detergent with a bucket of warm water.

Scrub surface with a scrub brush.

Rinse furniture and allow to dry.

Use a wire brush or sandpaper to remove any rusted spots down to the bare metal.

Wipe off any metal reside with a clean cloth dampened with mineral spirits or naphtha.

Spray bare spots with a primer made for metal, such as those made by Rust-Oleum following the directions on the can (wear an approved respirator). Allow surface to dry for recommended time.

Spray furniture with paint made for metal of the desired color, following the directions on the can (wear an approved respirator).

Allow paint to dry thoroughly before using furniture.

Aluminum Furniture

How to Remove Oxidation:

Option #1: Remove light oxidation by rubbing the surface with a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water.

Backed by his 40-year remodeling career, Danny served as the home improvement expert for CBS’s The Early Show and The Weather Channel for more than a decade. His extensive hands-on experience and understanding of the industry make him the go-to source for all things having to do with the home – from advice on simple repairs, to complete remodels, to helping homeowners prepare their homes for extreme weather and seasons.

20 COMMENTS

Is linseed oil good to use on outdoor benches? Will it protect it like Thompsans or am I better off using thompsons? I was thinking about applying a cherry stain to out door natural teak colored bench. If I do, can I use linseed oil as a cover or Thompsons.

Hi Kevin,
Oils like linseed and Tung do not make a very durable exterior finish, tend to mildew, and will need to be reapplied often if the bench will be out in the weather. Exterior varnish (marine or spar) holds up better, but will breakdown after a few years. Bottom line is that it’s hard to find a natural finish that holds up well outside over time due to constant sun and rain.

Hi,
How can I bring the luster back to my wrought iron patio furniture without painting it? It is the standard brown heavy woven metal type. It looks dull and dusty. Is there an oil I can use that will not course a sticky build up?
Thanks,
Lori

Me and my husband start to clean our outdoor area again and our furniture too! Sometime it can be fun but some-time it is so annoying (scrubbing the floors, cleaning outdoor furnitures with sponge etc.).
Are there some battery powered cleaning tools? I just see some in the shop but most of them are garden tools with battery. It would help me a lot.

I have a grey metal patio set and it has a whiteish film on the table and chairs and I cannot seem to restore it. What can I use to restore the set as I feel it looks like the finish is fading. Thank you for any advice you can give me.

Hi,
How can I bring the luster back to my wrought iron patio furniture without painting it? It is the standard brown heavy woven metal type. It looks dull and dusty. Is there an oil I can use that will not course a sticky build up?
Thanks,
Denise

For wrought iron furniture, we just clean with stiff brush using soap and water, use wire brush for any rust that forms over winter or just a scrubby, apply thin coat of linseed oil and buff it off with a drill attached buffing wheel, and an old cotton cloth on the legs. No paint to worry about and like the garden tools, it’s been around for decades. This year I think I will use a garden sprayer on the metal table my brother built about 30- 40 years ago as the top is a metal diamond mesh.

Thank you for the help. I am hoping to buy some wood patio furniture. I assumed that it would be necessary to scrub the furniture, as you mentioned. How often do you think that it needs to be cleaned that well?

I tried this on my resin chairs which were badly oxidized. Vinegar didn’t do a thing. Neither did baking soda. What worked was a Brillo Pad and Barkeepers Friend with a lot of scrubbing. What was much easier was Clorox Pro Outdoor Bleach. (Sodium hypochlorite and Sodium hydroxide – generic brand $4/gallon). Hose off large dirt first. Wipe it on with a damp sponge. I wore nitrile or vinyl gloves with the cuffs duct-taped to rubber gloves. By the time I had two chairs wiped down with the viscous solution, the first chair was ready to wipe down with a Scotch Brite Pad (kept damp). Hose off. The solution will ruin clothing – wear old work cloths. Bad spots take 2 treatments. The chairs look almost new, except they are still a bit chalky. I rubbed the residue off with a plastic cleaner such as Armor All.

Thank you so much for helping me prepare for my nice new deck furniture; it’s really helpful knowing how to take care of different kinds so I can keep that in mind when I go shopping for the furniture later this weekend. I’m hoping to get a lot of wrought iron and metal furniture for my yard, and it seems easy enough to take care of them with just some laundry detergent and maybe a wire brush if it gets rusted. The tips on washing fabric cushions, though, will be especially invaluable, because I figured those wouldn’t work well in the washing machine, but I still want to have some nice padding on the metal furniture.

Hi, Kathy,
Preventing oxidation is easy!
For clean furniture, just apply a coat of automotive paste wax to the furniture’s surface.
Allow the wax to dry for a few minutes and then remove the residue.
Finally, polish the surface with a clean cloth.
Hope this helps!